Tank Sets New Adult R&B Airplay Record: ‘Being No. 1 … Is Just Something Different’

Tank is no stranger to No. 1s, but even this newest one is sure to have him shouting “YES”!

The singer captures his 12th No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart (dated Oct. 17), breaking a tie with Charlie Wilson for the most leaders by a male artist in the chart’s 33-year history. Overall, Tank ranks second to Alicia Keys and her 14 No. 1s.

“Having a [No.] 1 song is always special, but being [No.] 1 in the history of the platform is just something different,” Tank tells Billboard. “Just keep singing the R&B music you love and God will do the rest.”

“YES,” released and promoted through R&B Money/BMG, rises from the runner-up spot to crown the list. The track’s ascent cements its status as the most played song on panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the United States for the tracking week of Oct. 2-8, according to Luminate. For its coronation week, “YES” registered the largest increase in plays among all songs at the format, winning it the weekly Greatest Gainer honor.

Here’s a look at the acts with the most chart-toppers:

• 14, Alicia Keys
• 12, Tank
• 11, Toni Braxton
• 11, Charlie Wilson
• 10, Mary J. Blige
• 10, Usher
• 9, Bruno Mars
• 9, Kem
• 9, Maxwell

As “YES” advances, it swaps places with last week’s champ, October London’s “Silent Treatment,” which falls after one week in charge.

The new Adult R&B Airplay leader has its roots in a previous champ, as “YES” interpolates the R&B duo Floetry’s “Say Yes,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 2003. Through its use, Floetry members Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart are credited as songwriters on “YES.”

Now that Tank makes history as the first man to reach a dozen No. 1s, here’s a recap his 12 Adult R&B Airplay chart champs:

• “Please Don’t Go,” No. 1 for 10 weeks, beginning May 19, 2007
• “Next Breath,” one, June 16, 2012
• “When We,” 11, Nov. 18, 2017
• “Dirty,” three, April 20, 2019
• “Can’t Let It Show,” two, July 3, 2021
• “I Deserve,” one, March 19, 2022
• “Slow,” feat. J Valentine; two, Nov. 5, 2022
• “See Through Love,” feat. Chris Brown; one, May 20, 2023
• “Before We Get Started,” feat. Fabolous; two, June 1, 2024
• “Gone,” Aaliyah feat. Tank; two, Sept. 27, 2025
• “Control,” two, March 28, 2026
• “YES,” one (to date), Oct. 17, 2026